Allow Me To Introduce You To Satan!

Army Specialist Iván López had attained infamy in March of 2014 for murdering three individuals and wounding sixteen others prior to taking his own life at Fort Hood Army base in Texas. In an effort to make sense of his motivations, an investigation immediately ensued. A review of his recent Facebook posts had revealed the following entry: “I have just lost my inner peace, full of hatred, I think this time the devil will take me”

Preceding Specialist Lopez’ assault at Fort Hood, Miranda Barbour had made the news in December of 2013 for the murder of Troy Laferrara and her subsequent confession to slaughtering 22 other individuals over the previous five years. As with Specialist Lopez, Ms. Barbour claimed Satanic influence as a contributing factor.

These incidents are just two of the more recent in a number of crimes, both heinous and marginally criminal where in it had been inferred that the devil made them do it. From Richard Rimirez, the “Night Stalker” to David Berkowitz, the “Son Of Sam” killer to Charles Manson and the Manson “Family”, people claiming some sort of satanic persuasion for their misconduct have been staining newspaper headlines for decades.

The escalating acceptance of the Occult, Spiritism and even Satanism in our American and global society is thought by many to be evidence of an inevitable plunge toward the wicked universal mindset necessary to bring about the end of days portended in many ancient texts – not the least of which is the Bible. And at the center of the Bible’s end-time scenario are the Creator and the created – God and His ancient adversary, Satan.

Satan is thought by many to be behind most, if not all of the awful things people do, think, say, feel or experience in their lives. The Bible tells us that Satan brings disease and afflictions, Job 2:7, makes war against God’s people, Revelation 12:7, murders and lies, Revelation 12:10, John 8:44, deceives nations, Revelation 12:9, quotes and misquotes the word of God, Matthew 4:1-10 and ensnares and devours, 2 Timothy 2:26, 1 Peter 5:8. With just one half-truth, “…you shall not surely die…”, and one false promise, “…you shall be like God…”, Genesis 3:4-5, Satan was able to usher sin into Gods’ perfect creation. This leads us to wonder who Satan is and why he is so evil? Even more perplexing is why God, who is supposedly all-powerful and honorable, could not or did not stop Satan before his consultation with Eve in the garden and why He can not or does not put an end to Satan and his conduct now? In this article, we will explore those very questions and more regarding this notorious evil angel.

Who is Satan?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1:1. This was a jubilant occasion that caused all of God’s angelic hosts to shout for joy, Job 38:4-7. Given this sliver of information, it is safe to assume that the creation of the heavens and the earth as we know them occurred subsequent to the creation of angelic beings. Moreover, being that Satan is an angel, Ezekiel 28:14 and given that all the heavenly hosts were present and celebrating God’s latest masterpiece, we can safely infer that Satan – or Lucifer, as He was known at the time – had to have been among that joyous angelic throng.

Lucifer was not just another angel, however, he was a high-ranking cherub, Ezekiel 28:14, who was as wise as he was beautiful, Ezekiel 28:12. Ezekiel 28:15 goes on to explain that Lucifer was blameless and holy, as well. Unfortunately, one thing that Lucifer was not was sufficiently grounded in the reverence and worship of God to the extent to which he was able to quell the narcissism that had begun to slither it’s way into every essence of his being.

Why did Satan fall from grace?

Some time after the sixth day of creation, when everything was still “very good”, Genesis 1:31, Lucifer had begun to become very cognizant of his own splendor, paying no heed to the fact that his splendor was a gift from God. Thus, instead of adopting an attitude of humility and gratitude toward his Creator, Lucifer’s pride gave way to unhealthy ambition. Wise, beautiful and powerful; Satan saw little difference between himself and God. Ultimately, corrupted by arrogance, Lucifer decided that there should be no reason that he couldn’t become a god like his Creator, Isaiah 14:13-14. However, such egotistical and insolent ambitions are profane to God. Thus, fertilized by Lucifer’s pride, sin emerged for the very first time. And as a result of Lucifer’s impudent and prideful aspiration, God banished him from heaven.

What happened when Satan fell from grace?

In His account in Luke 10:18, Jesus explained that Lucifer was cast from heaven like a bolt of lightning. Before his exile, however, Satan was somehow able to entice a third of his heavenly brothers to subscribe to his contention that he would make an excellent god. And armed with his newly-formed army of dissidents, Lucifer instigated a war in heaven against God and the remaining angels, Revelation 12:7. But, outnumbered and tremendously incapable of prevailing against the power of God, Lucifer’s rebellion failed miserably and he and his rebellious faction were unceremoniously ousted, Revelation 12:9. Lucifer, God’s finest creation at the time had sinned, and that sin had metastasized to a large number of other heavenly host’s. Where had God gone wrong? The fact is, He hadn’t gone wrong anywhere at any time. God had a master plan to deal with sin, and now phase one of God’s master plan was complete.

Yes, God had planned for this all along. He knew the turn that Lucifer would take from the very beginning. God is omniscient. Therefore, He is not surprised by anything. Thus, He is able to make everything go according to His plans, Isaiah 46:9, Psalm 147:5, Ephesians 1:11. Now, phase two of His plan was set to begin.

How did Satan become god of this world?

Lucifer’s opposition to God earned him a new name; Satan, which means adversary. He was also given the name, Devil, which means slanderer. This may be because slander was perhaps one of the tools that Lucifer used against God in order to persuade a third of the angels to dissent. Satan is known by many other names throughout the Bible: AbaddonAbaddon, Beelzebub, Apollyon and Belial to name a few. But, in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, he calls Satan “god of this world”, 2 Corinthians 4:4.

Many people are confused as to why Paul would say such a thing. After all, isn’t God the “god of this world”? But, Paul’s inference here is simply in reference to Satan’s capability to hold sway over the vast majority of people. He shapes people’s principles, philosophies, goals, and aspirations. His power in this world is so prominent that it greatly affects our governments, culture, commerce, educational systems and most assuredly, our religion. This is not to say, however, that Satan rules the world completely. God unequivocally established His supremacy over Satan during Satan’s rebellion. Satan now works only within the constraints that God has set for him. But, how and when did Satan become the god of this world?

Some time after Satan’s fall, God created two perfect beings, a man and a woman and placed them in a perfect setting – a garden in a place called Eden. Satan took the bait. Still incensed from his recent defeat and exile, Satan determined that he would ravage anything and everything that had anything to do with God, beginning with God’s two newly created beings, Adam and Eve. Satan persuaded the man and woman that God was a liar and that He was keeping a secret from them – that they too could be like God! Upon defying God’s command – partaking of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil – the man and woman sinned, destroying their perfect spirits and bodies. They were also banished from their paradise, just as Satan had been. Moreover, when the two of them sinned, they forfeited dominion over the earth given to them by God in Genesis 1:26, to Satan. This is when Satan became god of this world. Phase two of God’s plan was complete!

What happened to Satan after he persuaded Adam and Eve to sin?

For their rebellion, Adam and Eve received penalties that would reverberate throughout all mankind from that time forward, Genesis 3:16-19. But, Satan was cursed as well. God warned him that from the seed of Adam and Eve, one would come that would bring about his destruction, Genesis 3:15.

Satan had lost favor with God, he had lost his esteemed position and citizenship in heaven and now he was cursed to destruction. With his fate sealed and his destruction imminent, Satan’s hatred of God intensified. Undoubtedly, this redoubled his resolve to destroy, wreck and ruin as much of God’s creation as possible. From the murder of Able, Genesis 4:8 through the infanticides during the time of Christ’s birth, Matthew 2:16 to the future battle at Armageddon, Revelation 16:16, the Bible is replete with examples of Satan’s continual efforts to thwart God’s plans and promises and to prevent people from attaining what he will never again experience; a relationship with God and a citizenship in heaven. To this day, Satan and his minion continue to mislead nations, churches, families and individuals. And the more time that passes, the more Satan is able to poison this world with his evil; filling it with sorrow and pain. And in the end, he will succeed in persuading an entire world to follow him, Revelation 13:3, by making the lost feel saved, Matthew 7:21-23. But, how will Satan do this? How will this evil angel get the inhabitants of this world to not only forfeit their religious beliefs, but also to ultimately obey him?

What is Satan’s plan now?

“You will not surely die. You will be like God”. Whether we are aware of it or not, these tenets of the first great deception have now become the aspirations that drive our world. Most of us want things as we alone see fit. We would rather not be constrained by a set of rules or morals – especially those that others want to impose upon us. In a manner of speaking, we want to be our own god. Thus, many people are drawn to and are ensnared by religions and/or philosophies that assert that at the end of our spiritual evolution, we will be a god or at the very least like God. Satan, who is well acquainted with the caustic effects of pride and self-obsession, is using those very things as a means by which to deceive mankind into believing that there is no God but man – or that if there is a God, mankind no longer has need of Him.

After all, are we not fully capable of running and ruling our lives and this planet ourselves? Consider the technology our minds have birthed in just the short time that mankind has been in existence. And through that technology, we have acquired vast amounts of knowledge that have afforded us the power to better our lives. Soon, our technology, knowledge and power will give birth to a utopia – a world where we can all live in peace; a world where there will be no more war, famine, oppression or poverty. We will somehow find it within ourselves to defy our own inherent corrupt nature and attain a man-made Shangri-La. But, to do this, we will need a worldwide government; one that will have the technology, knowledge and power to justly govern and provide for our international societal needs. And let’s not forget the bane of our existence – religion. Our separate religions have caused a divide among us for far too long. In our global Garden of Eden there will be no room for the divisiveness that multiple religions produce. Certainly, we have evolved to the point to where we can move beyond primitive superstitions. Surely, we have become enlightened enough to allow ourselves to devise and employ our own globally-accepted religion; one that will both encompass and transcend all other religions and their intrinsic shortcomings.

Sadly, the hopes and goals stated in the previous paragraph are widely held. Granted, on the surface they seem innocuous and perhaps even encouraging. They are, however, a description of the type of mentality requisite to usher in the brand of world view that facilitates the global rule under Satan that we are warned about in the book of Revelation. Does the idea of a world government seem like a bit of a stretch? Consider the following quotes:

“To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, patriotism, and religious dogmas”. Brock Chisholm, UN Director of the World Health Organization from 1948-1953

“What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea – a new world order where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind; peace, security, freedom and the rule of law…”. President George Bush Sr.

“It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government patterned after our own government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace. To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. That would be a bitter pill. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order. But the American colonies did it once and brought forth one of the most nearly perfect unions the world has ever see”. Walter Cronkite.

In another of Mr. Cronkite’s homilies on a unified global community he closed with this little gem:

“…Pat Robertson has written that we should have a world government, but only when the Messiah arrives. Any attempt to achieve world order before that time must be the work of the Devil! Well join me… I’m glad to sit here at the right hand of Satan.”

Whether Mr. Cronkite was being facetious or not, it’s this type of flippant attitude toward Satan that anesthetizes the world to God’s truth and Satan’s deceptions.

A world government, a world economy, a world religion centered on the worship of an ancient cherub. These are Satan’s plans now. Unlikely as they may seem at this point in time, these are the things Satan is now focused on accomplishing and we have it on the highest authority – God – that he will achieve his objectives. And once these things have come to fruition, Satan will be capable of coercing the world into worshiping him as god with very little effort.

What Satan is doing now is perpetuating lies of various sorts designed to obscure the truth and mislead those who have not diligently sought after Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For instance, the Luciferian Philosophy has been in existence for centuries and is beginning to gain in popularity. It is the notion that Adam and Eve were actually held prisoner in Eden by a malicious god until Satan came along and saved them by offering them the gift of intellect with which they were able to escape the cruel god. This ancient philosophy is finding more and more purchase in our society, heralded by the New Age movement.

Why does God allow Satan and the fallen to do these things?

So, why didn’t God put a halt to things in the garden? If God is all-knowing and all-powerful then how have things gotten so out of hand? Is this current state of affairs simply the result of Satan capitalizing on an opportunity born from God’s inadequacy in foreseeing Satan’s strategy to corrupt God’s creation? Is God unable to effectively manage the evil that Satan has ushered into the world? No, this is certainly not the case.

God uses Satan and the sin he circulates as an opportunity to show His glory. Now, not only are we able to understand the repercussions of leading a self-centered as opposed to a God-centered life, we are able to witness God’s grace, love, righteousness and His power to set all things right. Light shines more brightly against darkness. Thus, the glory of God shines more brightly when His patience, mercy, grace and justice are weighed against the sin and evil in this world. And it shines most brightly when, despite the darkness around us and within us, we magnify Christ. Colossians 1:16.

So, what chance do we have against an angel full of hate and a world full of sin?

It’s true; Satan has done his job well. He has so corrupted God’s creation that evil surrounds and is a part of every one of us; rescinding our right to the kingdom of heaven. Now, we are all sinners and we all fall short of the right to be considered a child of God. Romans 3:23. Moreover, we, ourselves, are incapable of altering that fate. There is nothing we can do, nothing we can offer God that will make Him look upon us as His son or daughter as opposed to some horrid abomination infected with death and disloyalty to all that is true, right and good. Satan has succeeded in making it so that when God looks upon us, He sees a reflection of Satan, His despised adversary.

Phase Three: The Good News!

But, the good news for you and I is that God has provided a way out from under the bondage of the sin and darkness that so utterly pervades our earthly lives and separates us from Him. God made good on His promise to Satan in Genesis 3:15. He sent His perfect Son to suffer the penalty for every sin of every sinner. Colossians 2:14. And all that seek Christ will be reunited with the Heavenly Father. John 14:6. Now, when God looks upon those of us who are saved, he no longer sees an image of Satan, but the image of His perfect Son!

One day, perfection will be restored. And through the actions of one fallen angel, all of creation will have had the benefit of having witnessed, first-hand, the consequence of being more interested in ourselves than in our God. But, more importantly, through Satan’s rebellion, all of creation will have had the great honor of having witnessed the extent of God’s love for us, His desire to be with us and the extent to which He will go to make those things happen.